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CRB Home Office announce intention to award new DBS contract to TCS

Capita members who work on the Criminal Records Contract in Liverpool have been informed that the Home Office has announced its “intention to award” the DBS contract to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). The Home Office is currently finalising discussions with TCS on the implementations plans of the 5 year contract which will start in 2013.

PCS will be writing to Tata shortly demanding an urgent meeting. At the meeting our union will be seeking written guarantees on jobs, their location (with a guarantee that they will remain in Liverpool), pay and terms and conditions.

We will give members the employer’s response.

PCS will also be seeking guarantees over early consultation and engagement to discuss our members Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) transfer into TCS. We want to receive assurances that our members’ jobs are secure over the contract period.

We are working very closely with our sister branch in the public sector part of the CRB to deliver the appropriate strategy in a co-ordinated and effective manner so that we can protect all PCS members at the CRB.

It is reported that Tata consultancy Services (TCS) is a global leader in IT Services and Business Solutions with global revenues exceeding £6.2 billion in their last financial year. As part of the Tata Group of companies that employs approximately 60,000 people in the UK (including those at Jaguar Landrover, Corus Steel and Tetley Tea) TCS has held a presence in the UK since 1975 and now has 9,500 UK employees.

Members will be aware that pay negotiations for 2012 have been suspended pending the contract announcement. We wrote to Capita last week to re-open talks in advance of the recent announcement. A pay meeting is scheduled for Thursday August 2 and we will be calling on Capita to enter into meaningful talks on pay. It is in Capita’s interest to ensure a smooth transition and handover of the contract.

We will be holding members' meetings on site over the next few weeks. It is absolutely crucial that all members attend these important meetings.